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Scholarships are special opportunities for those who need help to finance their education. Education is expensive and higher education even more so. Gifted students, whether in academics, sports or fine arts have an opportunity to support their ambitions through a scholarship grant. Art and Music scholarships are awarded by specific colleges to students who wish to join their institution. These are awarded to students who want to pursue their studies in music – vocal and/or instrumental, theatre, performing or non-performing arts. These scholarships are awarded after an audition where students are gauged for their exceptional talent, whether present or potential.

The Auditions

Once you have applied to a particular college you will be invited to an audition. Your admission will depend on the recommendations after your audition. You may need to answer certain questions about your pursuits.

If you are a student of music, you will need to tell about the instruments you play. You will be required to list out the music that interests you, the type of songs, composers, and music bands that you prefer. You will also need to inform what music would you like to play and on what instrument during your audition. You may be asked to perform in two contrasting styles. Proficiency and performance – both will count here.

You can apply at the following school:

• Sarofim School of Fine Arts – Offers scholarships in Studio Art, Music and Theatre to students who have been granted admission.

Art scholarship is for those majoring in Studio Art only. They applicant must present their portfolio of recent work. 15-20 samples could be sent as 35mm color slides or as digital photos duly identified. The scholarship ranges from $3000 to $5000 per year.

The Music scholarship ranges from $3500 – $12,000 per year. Audition requirements are Woodwinds, Brass and Strings, Percussion and Piano. There is an audition for Voice also.

For students majoring in Theatre, the scholarship award is $3,000-$7,000 per year. Audition requirements are Acting (two contrasting monologues), and presentation of Design portfolio.

Art students would need to inform the medium they like to work in the most, and the artist they prefer the most. You may need to explain which painting or work of art interests you.

A student applying to get into theatre may need to audition on monologues, whether contemporary or classic, comedy, tragic or drama. Dance students will need to give a dance performance.

Colleges and universities recognize the exceptional talent of students and prospective students and are happy to grant them scholarships. While applying for your art and music scholarship, you need not limit yourself. If you are exceptional in studies you can also look to getting yourself an academic achievement scholarship to supplement your expenses.

Many colleges offer an art and music grant instead of a scholarship. You may lose your scholarship on non performance. In such a scenario, you need to pay back your loan. The main advantage of art and music grant is that you need not pay back anything. In addition, grants can be obtained repeatedly.

Today many American students apply for scholarship to meet their educational expenses. There are lots of scholarship programs available, both at national and international level. For Americans, studying abroad has become easier. There are resources available in the form of international scholarships. In their pursuit to study in foreign lands, American students from colleges and universities can now look forward to financial aid in the form of scholarships, loans, and grants. As a student aspiring to study abroad, you can search for the scholarship program of your choice on the basis of country, university, and field of study.

Programs Galore

A plethora of scholarships and fellowships exist for American students who want to study abroad. Among them are Post doctoral scholarships, Merit scholarships, and scholarships from Fulbright and Rotary, among others. You need to research well to see which program will help you fulfil your educational ambitions.

When you think of international scholarships the crown jewel, is the Fulbright Scholarship. The brain child of Senator William Fulbright of Arkansas, this program was instituted to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” This United States government sponsored educational exchange program provides opportunities to study, teach, share and conduct research on matters of global concern.

Since its commencement in 1946, 63 years ago, more than 111,000 Americans have taken advantage of its programs in 155 countries. Fulbright has a number of programs but the one that will definitely interest you is the American student, is the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Graduating and graduate American students are offered study fellowships for one academic year. These fellowships may come with full or partial support. The Fulbright Program has supported more than 1500 Americans, last year.

A Rotary scholarship is another way to fulfil your ambitions to study abroad. Undergraduate and graduate students can avail of funding for studies abroad. Rotary offers programs for short term (3 – 6 months), a full academic year, and those lasting more than a year. You need to check out the criteria required for you need not necessarily be a college or a university student when you are applying.

As applications are submitted through the Rotary clubs, check with your local club for any scholarships currently available. Ideally, you should apply at your local Rotary club instead of applying at the club in your university city. This will cut down the competition extensively. As is usual when seeking financial aida scholarship, you need to start your search for a Rotary scholarship early. Form a good rapport with your local Rotary club’s president as he is going to be your sponsor.

After passing through the local and district levels, and once you are selected, you will find the scholarship to be very generous. Undergraduates can try for the Rotary Ambassadorial scholarships. Through this you can apply for any institution in any country. What’s more, there is no age restriction to apply!

The economic strength of American corporations is growing. Today, they are in a position to give back a part of their wealth through corporate scholarship programs. They are this way investing in their own future as the students availing these scholarship programs are mostly absorbed by them. This enables these corporations to remain globally competitive. These corporations offer different types of scholarship.

Large corporations have created foundations which are separate entities by themselves. These foundations offer scholarship programs to deserving students. Most corporations offer scholarships to high school students.

Scholarship Programs

You need to browse through the net to check which corporations offer scholarship programs that suit you. Your best bet would be to check companies that appear in the Fortune 500 list. This list is replete with large and diverse corporations, such as soft drink and IT companies. These companies are more of giants than mere corporations. You will also find commodity brokers and grocery chains as a part of the list.

Research these companies and find out the type of scholarships they offer. You can find out the eligibility requirements from their websites.

Let us look at some of the corporations that offer corporate scholarship programs:

• Established in 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offer grants to graduate students in mathematics, engineering, science, education, and library science. Undergraduates are offered grants in all disciplines. The Foundation provides grants to students of the African American, American Indian, Alaska Natives, and Hispanic American origin, in addition to those Americans from Asian Pacific Islands. The grant is known as The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) grant.

• If you are a high school student who has participated in an official Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, you could try for The Dell Scholars Program. 250 scholarships, each worth a substantial $20,000, are offered through this program. This is a need based program. It is awarded to those in need of financial help, to enable them to pursue their dreams of higher education. $5 million worth of funds enable 250 needy students to complete their college studies through this program.

• If you have consistently shown excellence in academics at school, have been regularly active in programs offered by your school, are a recognized leader, have been an active participant of a service program benefiting your school or your community, then you could be nominated for the Toyota Community Scholars program. For this award your high school will need to nominate you. If you think you are the right student for this program, get in touch with your guidance counsellor at school.

These were just a few examples of the types of corporate scholarship programs available to deserving students. You need to research well and try to enter the appropriate and deserving program in time. Financial aid for the deserving is always available – make the move on time.

Education. This is one investment you cannot afford not to make yourself. Your future depends on it. This is one way for you to land that dream job. But remember, to do that, you need a college education, a college degree. College education, however, is not easy on the pocket. Many cannot afford a good education. One way you may be able to get that education is through a scholarship. But scholarships are not easy to come by. You need to work hard at your academics. If you are good in a certain sport, you need to work hard at your game for a sports scout to notice you.

Getting Scholarships

You need to be exceptional to get a scholarship. There are many who want one but very few who get them. Scholarships are based on some requirement or the other. If your academic performance has been exceptional and if you are eligible for GPA, you may look for an academic achievement scholarship grant.

Here are two academic achievement scholarships you can consider:

• College of DuPage Foundation Achievers Scholarship – You need to have achieved 3.5 GPA and above to qualify. You need to be a resident of District 502 and enrol in a certificate or a degree program, or a transfer program. You need to maintain 12 credit hours per semester full time status.

• Michael Ries Alumni Scholarship – You must be a resident of District 502 and must have completed at least 30 credit hours. You need to maintain 12 credit hours or more and maintain cumulative 3.5 GPA.

After having been granted this scholarship you will have to work hard to keep abreast of the maximum rating. The grant can be revoked if you are unable to reach the required rating by the time you finish your first term. You may be put on probation till you achieve the required grades.

If you are exceptional in your chosen sport you can try for a sports scholarship. You do not need to excel in academics as scholarship grant is for those who excel in sports. You however, need to do well enough to be noticed by a sports scout. You normally do not pursue such scholarships. They are granted to you based on your excellence in the sport of your choice.

• Jim McKay Scholarship Program – Established by NCAA in recognition of “outstanding academic achievement and potential to make a major contribution in the sports communication industry.” Basic eligibility requirement is ‘intercollegiate athletics as a member of a varsity team at an NCAA member institution.’ You need to enroll for graduate study in any NCAA member institute with an undergraduate grade point average of minimum 3.500 out of the maximum 4.000.

You may be lucky if you receive a full scholarship that covers books, tuition and cost of living. Partial scholarships may cover only any one of the three.

Attending college can be a rich and rewarding experience. But it can also place considerable strain on your resources and even more so if the student has some kind of physical or mental disability. To help such disabled students, several thousand sponsors from both, government and private sectors contribute generous sums of money every year to help them pay for their education. While a majority of the schemes are given as a grant which is not required to be repaid, a few of them may be offered as part-loans. Some scholarships are available specifically to students with a specific disability, while others might include a wider class including many different kinds of disabilities. Usually, the dispensation of financial aid to a student results in a long-standing partnership between the parents, the post-secondary educational institutions as well as government and/or private organizations. Listed below are some of the important aid agencies for disabled students.

Federal Student Aid

Provided by the office of the U.S. Department of Education, the FSA is the largest source of student aid and plays a key role in promoting post-secondary education in the country. Its goal is to provide federal financial assistance ? as grants, work study and loans to enable all eligible individuals to benefit from education beyond high school. Every year, the FSA provides more than $83 billion in aid to millions of post=secondary students. The financial aid office at the school you wish to attend is a good place to begin your search for more information in this regard. Remember that not all schools participate in FSA programs.
State Programs

Financial assistance to students in the form of state grants and loans are offered by nearly all states, information of which can be obtained from a college or a high school financial aid office.

Other Sources

Parents can check with their employers to see if there is any provision for financial aid, or scholarships for children of employees. Many professional, social or religious organizations also offer grants and scholarships. For instance, some labor unions (like AFLCIO, Teamsters) provide scholarships to members and their children. Religious organizations also offer educational grants for the disabled. It would help to check with the head office of your religious affiliation. Students wishing to pursue a career in business can approach their local Chamber of Commerce to find if they have any provision for financial aid for students in their community.

The PSAT

The College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) jointly sponsor the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the writing of which offers you a chance to qualify for scholarship and grants.

AmeriCorps

Established to offer services in the fields of education, public safety, health, and the environment, the AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs. Members who serve the organization full- or part-time are entitled to an educational grant that helps them pay for college or graduate school, or to pay back student loans.

Private Organizations

Corporate sponsors, companies and other private sector organizations offer generous funding for disabled children to pursue higher education or vocational training programs that can assist them in taking up jobs related to their field of study. There are various funding programs that target different kinds of disability ranging from physical impairments to learning disabilities. Listed below are a few of the important ones:

Listed above are just a few of the multitude of agencies engaged in providing funding for the disabled. For information on scholarships offered for specific disabilities, the net is a good resource and can provide you details on student aid offered by your state as well as other sources.